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U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

DHS is committed to using cutting-edge technologies and scientific talent in its quest to make America safer. Within the Science and Technology Directorate, the Infrastructure Protection and Disaster Management (IPDM) Division is supporting the stadium evacuation project, which will evaluate evacuation plans and conduct detailed scenario analysis at 4 National Football League (NFL) stadiums. The stadiums that will be evaluated are:

• M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens)
• FedEx Field (Washington Redskins)
• Cowboys Stadium (Dallas Cowboys)
• Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles)

The CCICADA Center, in partnership with Regal Decision Systems, Inc., will evaluate up to 5 evacuation scenarios for each stadium using the Evacuation Planning Tool (EPT). The studies will focus on the planned routes, pedestrian flow bottle necks, interactivity among evacuees, and the impact of official personnel directing evacuees during the prescribed scenarios.

Regal Decision Systems, Inc. will import the existing 3D model files of the stadiums, if available, or create 3D files from 2D electronic CAD files supplied by the stadium authority. The 3D models will be imported into 3DS Max Regal’s modeling simulation tool (3DS Max) and prepared for use in the EPT. To prepare for future work on stadium evacuation, IPDM has arranged for the partnership of Regal Decision Systems with the CCICADA and VACCINE Centers. This partnership has lead to the development of research teams, which are currently evacuating scenarios and models for possible extension to:

• Modifying the EPT to work in a web-enabled environment
• Incorporating video analytics, threat data, and social network analysis into the EPT
• Taking advantage of the information collected at stadiums in evacuation planning/stadium security planning (e.g., age structure of ticket buyers, prevalence and location of disabled individuals, size and location of groups, number of families)
• Training additional security personnel in the use of evacuation planning tools
• Bringing more advanced behavioral dynamics into evacuation planning

These researcher teams, made up of experts from Regal Decision Systems, CCICADA and VACCINE, are working to advance the current capabilities for further use by the NFL and other sporting and large event venues.